Abstract
Muds from 12 types of soils were used as the only source of phosphorus in cultures of Scenedesmus dimorphus. Some muds supported as much algal growth as was obtained with 0.075 to 0.5 mg/1 of phosphorus, while little or no growth occurred in cultures which contained other muds as a source of phosphorus. Algal growth was correlated with the fractions of soil phosphorus which were extracted with the following solutions; I — the phosphorus — free nutrient solution, II — 0.05N HCl plus 0.025N H2SO4, III — 0.002N H2SO4 plus 3 g/l of K2SO4, and IV — 0.1N HCl plus 0.03N/NH4F. Additions of phosphorus to the soils prior to their use as muds increased the suitability of some as sources of phosphorus, but for others the added phosphorus was so tightly bound to the soil that little or none was available to S. dimorphus. The findings indicate that the type of soil in a pond will likely have a large influence on the efficiency of fertilization with phosphate fertilizers.
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Chiou, CJ., Boyd, C.E. The utilization of phosphorus from muds by the phytoplankter, Scenedesmus dimorphus, and the significance of these findings to the practice of pond fertilization. Hydrobiologia 45, 345–355 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00012024
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00012024